Zhangjiakou
Zhangjiakou (/ˈdʒɑːŋdʒiˈɑːˈkoʊ/; Chinese: 张家口; pinyin: Zhāngjiākǒu; Mandarin pronunciation: [ʈʂáŋ tɕjá kʰòʊ]), also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southwest. By 2019, its population was 4,650,000 inhabitants on 36,861.56 square kilometres (14,232.33 sq mi), divided into 17 Counties and Districts. The built-up (or metro) area made of Qiaoxi, Qiaodong, Chongli, Xuanhua, Xiahuayuan Districts largely being conurbated had 1,500,000 inhabitants in 2019 on 1,412.7 km2 (545.4 sq mi).
Zhangjiakou
张家口市 Changchiakow, Kalgan | |
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Clockwise from the top: Qingshui riverfront, downtown fireworks, Tong Bridge, Qingyuan Building, Dajingmen | |
| Nickname(s): Pearl of the Great Wall (塞外明珠), Northern Gate of Beijing | |
Location of Zhangjiakou City jurisdiction in Hebei | |
Zhangjiakou Location of the city centre in Hebei Zhangjiakou Zhangjiakou (Northern China) Zhangjiakou Zhangjiakou (China) | |
| Coordinates (Zhangjiakou municipal government): 40°46′08″N 114°53′10″E | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Hebei |
| Settled | 2500 B.C. |
| Established | November 15, 1983 |
| Municipal seat | Qiaodong District |
| Government | |
| • Party Secretary | Hui Jian (回建) |
| • Mayor | Wu Weidong (武卫东) |
| Area | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 36,861.56 km2 (14,232.33 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 407.21 km2 (157.22 sq mi) |
| • Districts | 6,963.8 km2 (2,688.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 716 m (2,349 ft) |
| Population (2010 census) | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 4,650,000 |
| • Density | 130/km2 (330/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 1,435,000 |
| • Urban density | 3,500/km2 (9,100/sq mi) |
| • Districts | 2,137,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-HE-07 |
| Licence plate prefixes | 冀G |
| Website | www |
| Zhangjiakou | |||||||||||
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"Zhangjiakou", as written in Chinese | |||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 张家口 | ||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 張家口 | ||||||||||
| Postal | Changchiakow | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Zhang family's pass" | ||||||||||
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| Kalgan | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 喀拉干 | ||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 喀拉幹 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | (Mongolian) "The gate" | ||||||||||
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| Mongolian name | |||||||||||
| Mongolian script | ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠯᠭᠠᠨ | ||||||||||
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Since ancient times, Zhangjiakou has been a stronghold of military significance and vied for by multiple sides, hence nicknamed the Northern Gate of Beijing. Due to its strategic position on several important transport arteries, it is a critical node for travel between Hebei and Inner Mongolia and connecting northwest China, Mongolia, and Beijing. Dajingmen, an important gate and junction of the Great Wall of China is located here.
In the south, Zhangjiakou is largely cultivated for agricultural use. In the north, Bashang is a part of the Mongolian plateau and dominated by grasslands. The forest coverage reaches 37%, earning Zhangjiakou the title of National Forest City. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Zhangjiakou has the freshest air and the least PM 2.5 pollution of all Chinese cities north of the Yellow River. Zhangjiakou also possesses 4.6% of China's wind energy resources, and the city ranks second in solar energy use.: 25–30 Zhangjiakou was one of the host cities at the 2022 Winter Olympics.